| Fact Check: Aviation noise regulation "Aviation is the only transport form not regulated in any significant way to reduce environmental impact." Quotation given without attribution on home page of www.keepthepeace.org |
| This is incorrect. Federal Aviation Regulations and local regulations include extensive content on regulation of noise. FAR Part 36 was initiated in 1968, prior to regulation of noise from other means of transport. Noise from marine sources (shipping) remains unregulated. Aviation noise regulations are noted below. This is not a complete list. |
| Aircraft Noise Abatement Act (1968), Pub.L. 90-411, authorized FAA to prescribe standards and issue regulations. This act was passed by Conrgess on July 21, 1968. |
| Part 36 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14CFR36):
Noise Standards: Aircraft Type and Airworthiness Certification.
Subpart B specifically regulates Transport Category Large Airplanes and
Jet Airplanes, with most details specified in Appendix A for noise
measurements and Appendix B for maximum noise levels permitted The
current statute requires that aircraft whose type certification
applications were submitted between November 5, 1975 and December 31,
2005 must produce noise no greater than Stage 3 standards. Newer
aircraft, whose type certification standards were submitted on or after
January 1, 2006, must produce noise no greater than Stage 4 standards.
Operation of aircraft under the older FAR 36 Stage 1 and Stage 2
standards is prohibited. The initial version of FAR Part 36 (14CFR36) became effective December 1, 1968. Its early development was concurrent and in harmony with ICAO Annex 16, in which the International Civil Aviation Organization addressed aircraft noise. Related codes include JAR-36 (European, Joint Aviation Authorities' implementation of ICAO Annex 16), CS 36 (European Aviation Safety Agencies' implementation of ICAO Annex 16, and AP 36 (Russia, combination of FAR 36 and Annex 16). |
| National Environmental Policy Act (1969), Pub.L. 91-190, established national policy and created the EPA. |
| Noise Control Act of 1972, Pub.L. 92-574, amended the Federal Aviation Act to involve the EPA in regulation of airport noise. |
| Quiet Communities Act (1978), Pub.L. 95-609, provided for coordination of federal research and noise control activities. |
| Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act (1979), Pub.L. 96-193, granted authority to the FAA to issue regulations on air noise compatibility planning and to make funds available for airport projects. |
| National Parks Overflight Act (1986), Pub.L.100-91, required studies of noise created by park overflights, with a report issued to Congress. A park-specific requirement was to develop a plan to manage air traffic over the Grand Canyon to substantially restore the natural quiet environment of the park. |
| Airport Noise and Capacity Act (1990), Pub.L. 101-508, established a national policy on aviation noise and directed the FAA to require all jet aircraft operating at civilian airports to be compliant with FAR 36 Stage 3 noise limits by year 2000. |
| National Parks Air Tour Management Act (2000), Pub.L. 106-81, transferred principal authority for regulation of noise at airports near national parks and for commercial tour overflights of parks from the National Park Service to the FAA. |
| Vision 100 -- Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act (2003), Pub.L. 108-176, included provisions to limit use of Federal funds for aircraft noise mitigation to areas with an average of at least 65 dB CNEL. |
| International noise regulations have been maintained by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the European Union, and national regulatory agencies. |
| Local regulations: Most operational noise regulations originate from individual airport authorities. This includes noise abatement procedures and published documentation of operating limits, such as curfews and prohibitions of operation of individual types of aircraft at particular airports. Operating limitations are incorporated into standard approach and departure procedures, which are recognized and used by Air Traffic Control. Some airports, including Mather, publish additional information for pilots in brochures describing airport-specific noise abatementprocedures. An example is Mather's Constant Descent Approach procedure. |
| Noise regulation notes and examples for non-aviation modes of transportation |
| Motor vehicle noise for vehicles used on and off highways is subject to various regulations.
EPA requirements (40CFR205.52) for medium and heavy trucks (over 10,000
lb gross weight) require noise to be no more than 80 dBA 50 feet to the
side of the centerline of the truck. Certain exceptions are allowed. Local agencies define various limits on vehicle noise. An example from a local law in Kent, NY is that "squealing tires" is prohibited. The State of New York defined vehicle noise to be excessive if it exceeds 88 dBA 50 feet from the center of the lane being used by a vehicle. California Vehicle Code noise limitations range from 76 dBA for vehicles such as cars and light trucks at low speeds, no higher than 45 mph, to 90 dBA for heavy trucks at a speed greater than 35 mph. For off-highway vehicles the CVC defines noise limits ranging from 82 dBA to 92 dBA, measured 50 feet from the centerline of travel, depending on the year of manufacture of the vehicle. The State of Oregon has elaborate tables of noise limits listing at least 50 different maximum noise levels for motor vehicles of various types. Examples of local specializations for vehicle types include snowmobiles and garbage trucks. Many localities have restrictions on use of Jacobs brakes or other dynamic engine brakes on trucks. Certain specialized situations have privately imposed limits: For example, Laguna Seca Raceway normally requires maximum noise for individual cars on Open Track days to be no more than 92 dB as measured 50 feet from the track. |
| Marine noise is not federally regulated.
EPA notes on new regulations for marine engines, taking effect in 2008,
state explicitly that noise continues to be unregulated: The new
regulations apply only to exhaust emissions. Some degree of regulation has been adopted by various local agencies. A local example is that Placer County requires pleasure boat engines manufactured since January 1, 2002 to produce no more than 88 dBA as measured adjacent to the exhaust outlets, in accordance with a testing standard defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The Placer County ordinance also limits pleasure boat sound levels to 75 dBA when measured from a shoreline.The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has banned use on Lake Tahoe of all engines not meeting the EPA 2006 or CARB 2001 emission standards; this tends to exclude a number of two-stroke engines previously used in Jet Skis which would generally be considered noisy. TRPA's ordinance requiring a 600-foot no-wake zone around Lake Tahoe is explicitly intended to minimize noise impacts on residents, visitors, and wildlife. |
| Railroad noise is federally regulated by 40CFR201 and 49CFR210, with the Federal Railroad Administration responsible for monitoring compliance. Maximum limits (Lmax) for locomotives manufactured after December 31, 1979, measured 30 meters (100 feet) from the track, are: 70 dB when stationary at an idle throttle setting; 87 dB when stationary at all other throttle settings; 88 dB when moving at 45 mph or less; and 93 dB when moving at speeds greater than 45 mph. An additional requirement for switcher locomotives in yard operations is a maximum of 65 dB when measured on receiving propertywhich is not part of the yard or railroad right of way. FRA occupational health and safety regulations prohibit worker exposure to noise levels greater than 115 dB. |